The military officers especially the ones who work in combat are a group of people with a lot of challenges which require them to get counseling services. According to Xue et al. (2015), these officers work in hostile environments, which put their lives at risk. As such once they get home they require extensive counseling sessions to remove the horrifying mental images (Velden et al., 2013). As observed by Baldacara et al. (2017), the military officers faced myriad of challenges in that most of the officers shy away from counseling services due to stigma. As such they recede to their homes where they suffer from PSTD which if not managed can lead to dire consequences (Hartley et al., 2013).
Military officers work presents unique challenges which must be considered when helping them (Ivie & Garland, 2011). Burke (2017) states that most of the time these officers are deployed in volatile areas across the globe where they witness horrifying experiences at the battlefront. They witness the mass massacre of civilians by rebel groups, torture of their colleagues by terrorists with some of them beheaded in full glare of these officers. According to Harms (2013), this kind of mental images are imprinted into such officers’ minds, and the case of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an everyday effect for them.
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The war veterans according to Sharma (2015) risk their lives for their compatriots in the hope that they will enjoy relative peace and calm. Sadly, the experiences they get from the battlefronts remain etched in their memories which can cause PSTD (Hart, 2015). To deal with such mental issues according to Hartley eat al (2013) they require the services of a psychologist who understands their trauma. If they do not get this kind of attention, there is a great likelihood that their lives will never be the same again (Monson, Taft, & Fredman, 2009). Consequently, various organizations have realized the need for counseling. Thus, they have made efforts to help such war veterans (Currey, 2007). Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos & Chiappelli (2005) are of the view that the concerned stakeholders have a great role to play to end this problem
The existing military does not have enough support system for military officers who are left to their own devices to deal with the horrifying experiences of the battlefields (Bray et al., 2010). Ultimately, as a result of this ignorance, most of the war veterans may attempt suicide to heal the scars from the battle fronts (Tucker, 2010). Consequently, these officers are forced to live solitary lives as they are unable to fit into a society which to them is hostile an opinion picked from their experience (Skogstad et al. 2013). If these people who work so hard to secure their nation are significant, then a lot needs to be done to secure their mental health (Martins & Lopes, 2013; Vitzhum et al. ,2009). According to Kaiser (2012), the people who can help the war veterans to go back to normalcy are military psychologists since they are trained to handle such responsibilities.
Following the existing gaps in military counselors, according to Richardson, Frueh and Acierno, (2010), it is clear that I should work my way to becoming a military psychologist. Thi is so since I will be able to touch the lives of many officers who are suffering in their homes. The neglect that the army officers returning from war experience are enough reason why their welfare should be my primary concern. Sher, Braquehais and Casas (2012) believe that the best war to help such individuals is by being there for them as they have been for their countries. Consequently, their arguments have formed the basis for my decision to work as a military psychologist to seal the counseling gaps existing in our society.
References
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